8:05AM. _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-230305-2']); Less than twenty miles inland of West Palm Beach, the Acreage functions as that citys country cousin. _gaq.push(['_setAllowLinker', true]); Please note: We are not The Florida Department of Health. But documents from the 1960s through the 90s show that Pratt & Whitney had licenses to use at least a dozen radioactive substances [PDF], including radium D and E, thoriated nickel and cesium-137, in Florida. In 2003, Palm Beach Aggregates sold its used mining pits to the South Florida Water Management District, the local government agency that oversees water usage, for $217 million. 31. New Acreage 'cancer cluster' lawsuit filed. A Florida man who says Pratt & Whitney created a pollution and cancer cluster told the 11th Circ. A civil engineer testified about his independent forensic investigation, which determined that the radioactive materials on Pratt & Whitney's campus matched the same materials found in The Acreage. These include Cesium-137, Iridium-191, and Cadmium-109. We have learned whats truly important in life, and its definitely not a house, she says. The Florida Department of Health and the Florida Department of Environmental Protectiondid investigate whether any contamination could have conceivably been the cause of cancer, and they found none, he said. Acreage cancer cluster trial underway in West Palm Beach By Linnie Supall Published: Jul. At various points, contaminated water escaped the dredging pits and seeped into the canal and groundwater in the Acreage, according to the plaintiffs complaint. Yesterday, the law firm of Searcy, Denney, Scarola, Barnhart, and Shipley held a news conference about lawsuits related to a cluster of pediatric brain cancer in the residential neighborhood Acreage, located in western Palm Beach County. Since there is no evidence that contaminated groundwater traveled a distance of 6 to 14 miles to the Acreage from Pratts 7,000-acre compound off the Beeline Highway, Hatfield and her legal team will argue that it was carried there by trucks. When she died, Jenna was 4 years old. But, he said, state agencies found no evidence either the water or the soil was contaminated. All Rights Reserved. There are about 10,000 houses in the area. In recent days, state officials have promised to do more. At some point you have to say, My credit is not worth it; were going,' said Stephanie Peskowitz, a founder of Voices of the Palm Beach Cancer Cluster, a citizens group. A pixielike girl with big blue eyes and long brown hair, Hannah Samarripa began experiencing headaches and fatigue in the middle of eighth grade. This month the countys Health Department confirmed that The Acreage is home to a cancer cluster, defined as an area with rates of brain tumors and brain cancers higher than normal. Florida will appeal to the federal government for help investigating the cancer cluster in The Acreage, Gov. In addition to TE-NORM, radionuclides have been detected in the Acreage that are not naturally occurring. As they anxiously eyed the array of health officials lined up on the stage, the Acreages residents got the news that none of them wanted. Jenna was a strong-willed, generous and ultimately prescient child, according to her mother, Kaye. fl.us/southeast/acreage/www.pbcgov. Dunsford, along with other parents whose children were diagnosed with brain cancer, claim the aeronautics giant didnt properly dispose of radioactive waste that eventually contaminated their community. The process involved, at various points, the CDC, the state and Palm Beach County departments of health, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). In 1979, just one year after the Acreage Homeowners Association formed and began constructing a system of canals to make the area habitable, 2,000 gallons of trichloroethylene (TCE), a carcinogenic solvent, leaked into the groundwater and surface water on Pratt & Whitneys campus, as the company later admitted. Though the parcel was on the part of the companys property nearest the Acreage, this never came up during the cluster investigation. Cancer Clusters Gov. The most likely cause the only cause is the transportation of Pratt Whitney materials to The Acreage, she said during opening statements. This constitutes a huge problem, though one that, he says, seems to spur little outrage. Prior to the cancer cluster, homes in The Acreage consistently sold at about 92% of the value of Jupiter Farms homes. Chicago attorney Sean Gallagher said state regulatory agencies not only cleared Pratt of wrong-doing but also declared that The Acreage is safe for families to enjoy outdoor activities in their yards.. But he also has a special outlook on life that his mother treasures and thinks may have resulted from his trauma. After years of litigation, their attorney, Jan Schlictmann, was left temporarily bankrupt, homeless and personally devastated. After a five-day hearing in 2018, Marra rejected Hatfield's request to allow all Acreage property owners to be part of the lawsuit. You most likely made your way to this site because you are aware of the Cancer Study that was conducted in our area by the Florida Department of Health (not us - we in no way conducted the study). The epidemiological investigation of the cluster took five years to conduct and cost taxpayers more than $10 million. The way the numbers and facts are being reported is confusing. Acreage Palm Beach Florida Cancer Cluster in Rural Community Among the first to urge officials to investigate reports of an unusually high incidence of pediatric cancers were Greg and Jennifer Dunsford, whose son Garrett, now 7, was treated for a benign brain tumor in 2008. Hatfield didnt say how much she is seeking. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) define a cancer cluster as a greater-than-expected number of cancer cases that occurs within a group of people in a defined geographic area over a specific period of time. Where did I live? Yet neither agency did so. She knew and somehow understood and was OK with it, Kaye McCann said recently. Type Media Center document.write(new Date().getFullYear()). The plaintiffs lawyers also unearthed company correspondence indicating that some of these radioactive materials wound up outside of their proper storage places. Then they have to say, Well, we dont even know that this is cause and effect in which case, people feel like they got nothing.. As you can see on the map, we are tracking all health concerns that are reported to us. Becky Samarripa felt the hostility, too. WebWhat is a cancer cluster? Her mother, Becky Samarripa, did it for her, and then drove Hannah to school and waited outside, knowing shed be able to put in only a brief appearance. But if we do it to ourselves in the name of national security, in preparation for war, that seems to be sort of OK., Pratt & Whitney has not only identified itself with the countrys security but has enhanced its public image by embracing the fight against cancer and the cause of protecting the environment. What can we do to protect the family? But when the low times do hit, each time it hits a little bit harder and lasts a little bit longer.. Study Being Conducted in The Acreage Has Been Canceled. _udn = "none"; Hatfield countered that medical experts her West Palm Beach firm hired will refute those claims. McCann knows that even if the puzzle of the Acreage cluster is finally solved, it wouldnt bring Jenna back. Many of the young families in the Acreage were drawn there by its relative lack of development. Shaggy cabbage-palm and cypress trees flank the neighborhoods sandy, unpaved roads. var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; After the company shut several of the wells that supplied water to its workers, it commissioned a study by the University of Miami to look into the possible health effects of the contamination. Please specify what type of assistance you need so we can better assist you. The community was in While Marra warned Hatfield, he declined Gallagher's request. Researchers ID protein that helps cancer cells in cell division But on the other hand, I envy them every day of their lives. The loss of her daughter has only become harder over time. Jet fuel, which was the suspected cause of another cancer cluster in Fallon, Nevada, may also have played a role at the Acreage. When Jenna was near death, she told her mother she wanted to take her caps to the hospital so the other kids could use them after she was gone. Still, mixed in with an overwhelming sadness, Samarripa felt a sliver of hope that the Acreage was on its way to finding and eliminating whatever carcinogens were lurking in the environment. Alonso was surely aware of how daunting a task it would be to pinpoint and prove the cause of the increase. The other camp focused on the good news, such as the FDEPs pronouncement that the local drinking water was generally good, as the letter accompanying the water-testing results put it, reassuring residents that in general, residential property in the Acreage is safe for families to enjoy outside activities in their yards.. The evidence, she said, shows Pratts carelessness caused children to get sick and die. Much of the information released by the Health Department during this period was open to interpretation. It helped start the P2 Coalition of Palm Beach County (P2 is short for pollution prevention) in 1994, along with the Palm Beach County Health Department, other local businesses and the Jupiter Chamber of Commerce. She had also gotten together with the mothers of other sick children, including Tracy Newfield, Becky Samarripa and Kaye McCann, as well as a few concerned friends and relatives, to see how they might get to the bottom of what was going on in the Acreage. Their family menagerie includes two horses, a pony, seven dogs, goats and a pig. Because the Acreage is unincorporated, the city doesnt provide services even water. Instead of taking dirt that had been soaked with jet fuel to a facility to be cleaned and recycled, Hatfield claims it was sold as fill to people who were building homes on low-lying, flood-prone lots in The Acreage. The anxiety level of residents went up, and property values went down. One state regulator who was involved in the process that spared the company from the Superfund designation went directly to work for Pratt & Whitney after those negotiations. Home - The Acreage Cancer Cluster Though the investigation turned up thirteen brain tumors in Acreage kids between 1994 and 2007, the official cluster consisted of just three girls, all of whom were diagnosed with brain cancer between 2005 and 2007. CHINESE DRYWALL - CANCER CLUSTER - UNEXPLODED ORDINANCE At Miami Childrens Hospital, where their son was treated, the Dunsfords met the family of another brain cancer patient who lived just a mile away. The Newfields also recently installed a sophisticated water-filtration system for their well, though Tracy recently discovered that Jessica had bought and stashed away bottled water. var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); Meanwhile, the governments investigation into the Acreage cancer cluster provided some evidence for the theory that radiation was behind it. ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? I think about it every time I open up the freezer and were out of store-bought ice.. Its a gold-level sponsor of the American Cancer Associations local Relay for Life fundraiser, and its chief executive was a vice chair of the group CEOs Against Cancer. There are many factors that make it easy for a company to pollute with impunity. WebMara And Acreage Cancer Cluster Map. Seminole Ridge High is a big school, and its ample, stucco-walled auditorium can hold hundreds of people, as it does for the pep rallies before Hawks games. That night, she found herself wondering whether health officials would ever find out what had caused her daughters cancer or whether they would even try. We have not received the facts. When Hannah got sick in 2007, her mother had no idea that, just a few blocks away in the Acreage their lush South Florida community other children had also suffered through the same awful symptoms. Many parents of the children with cancer were angry and frustrated, but other residents felt relief. Without a clear culprit for the cancers, some residents began blaming the families of the sick for the crisis. To view information associated with each bullet simply click on the bullet. Now we brush our teeth and cook with filtered water. (function() { After a while, we realized it was going off when our water was regenerating from our well, says Samarripa, who worried over the fact that Hannahs bedroom was closest to the well. Pratt & Whitney Named in First Lawsuit Filed Over The Acreage Cancer Cluster Some residents of The Acreage have filed a class action lawsuit against Pratt & Whitney. The study found that much of South Florida lies in a childhood cancer cluster. Still, the crowd was standing-room-only on this night. South Florida's independent Cancer Clusters Websites For Complete Report Infonnation www.pbchd.com/acreage www.dep. If I could move I definitely would, she said. The bottom line: Did Pratt & Whitney's actions depress property values? Disclaimer: This map is intended to be used as a visual tool ONLY. I began to be concerned about the area where I lived, said Dunsford, who moved to The Acreage from Broward County. We ask that if you live in the area and have a brain tumor, some form of cancer, or another diagnosed medical problem, that you call the Palm Beach County Department of Health at 561-514-5300. WebScientists have a specific definition of a cancer cluster. The Hollings researchers identified a protein called transforming acidic coiled-coil containing protein Families in this south Florida town point to two companies as the source of the contamination that caused their childrens disease. When it comes to cancer, were more on the prevention side, she told me when I met with her in Palm Beach this past April. As they anxiously eyed the array of health officials lined up on the stage, the Acreages residents got the news that none of them wanted. Unseal statement by State Attorney Dave Aronberg's ex-wife in Glenn Straub case, newspapers ask judge, Abortion lawsuit: Boynton synagogue fights Florida's abortion limits in religious freedom suit, Corey Jones shooting: Ruling opens door to Corey Jones' family suing Palm Beach Gardens over rights violation in his death. At the time, neither Jennifer Dunsford nor Becky Samarripa considered that her childs illness might be part of something larger. ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? New Acreage 'cancer cluster' lawsuit filed - WPTV There are a lot of communities down here built on that, says Hatfield. As they anxiously eyed the array of health officials lined up on the stage, the Acreages residents got the news that none of them wanted. CANCER CLUSTER Acreage Cancer Cluster She wants so desperately to remove her children from the possible harm there that she keeps a bag packed in her bedroom and thinks about leaving daily. If you have any questions, please send an email to: WE ARE NO LONGER COLLECTING THIS DATA - IF YOU HAVE A BRAIN CANCER CASE TO REPORT PLEASE CONTACT THE PALM BEACH COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (561) 514-5300. She declared the backyard pool off-limits. In the Acreage, there were many possible hazards to consider. While the jury found that Pratt & Whitney was not responsible for cancer that multiple residents contracted, the verdict said that the company "failed to exercise reasonable care in the use and disposal of radioactive materials" at the facility. In 2000, when Pratt & Whitney was considering leaving its Florida site, it entered into discussions with Palm Beach County about selling some of its land as a site for drinking wells. ' Her husband refuses to leave, though, because they are three years from paying off their mortgage and, if they sold the house, would lose so much money that they couldnt afford to buy another. Public record? Since so many of its operations are top secret, it is difficult to disprove the companys claims that it has never worked on nuclear planes or spacecraft in Florida. The smallest plots are more than an acre, and many are larger, so houses are a good distance from one another. Even the politicians in attendance were unhappy. Your government has not done enough, said County Commissioner Jess Santamaria, who has called on Crist to find state and federal money to connect homeowners to the county water system. Water testing in the affected homes turned up several radioactive contaminants. Definitively proving the cause of a cluster is so difficult because we live amid so many carcinogens. Located 15 miles northwest of West Palm Beach, The Acreage is an area of dirt roads, riding trails and some 35,000 residents, many who moved here to get away from big city ills. We are keeping track of all diagnosed health issues that residents report to us. Nearly 10 years after it was filed, Acreage cancer cluster lawsuit headed to trial this month The plaintiffs allege Pratt & Whitney dumped chemicals that caused brain And although the interviews did not enable investigators to pinpoint the cause of the disease, Health Department director Alina Alonso on Feb. 1 confirmed the existence of a cancer cluster. Hatfield and her colleagues at the law firm traced the radioactive contamination in the Acreage to two companies with operations in the area. | Credit: GARY CORONADO/THE PALM BEACH POST. But many were outraged when state health officials said that instead of environmental tests to hunt for the cancer cause, they would mount an awareness campaign instead. Judges tend to be, historically, extremely deferential to anything relating to national security, especially if it involves the military, says Stephen Dycus, a professor at Vermont Law School and the author ofNational Defense and the Environment. Still, she fervently hopes that someone can find whatever it is thats made kids sick, stop it, and help clean it up. She is now exploring the possibility of moving Jennas grave near their home in Georgia. Sharon Lerner is a reporting fellow with Type Investigations covering environmental issues for The Intercept. When Stephanie Peskowitz and her husband Ira bought a home in The Acreage five years ago, they figured they had found a woodsy paradise large enough for their dreams. Half a year later, on a mild evening in early 2010, state officials called a town meeting at the local high school to tell the community what the investigation had found. But Hatfields radiation theory also involves the operations of another, far larger company: Pratt & Whitney, one of the big three airplane-engine manufacturers in the world, whose local industrial site was separated from the homes of the sick children in the Acreage by a swampy preserve. Like most other suspected clusters, that one had failed upon investigation to clear the statistical bar. Dalia Dippolito May Have Tried to Kill Him, But Michael Dippolito Is No Saint, Hallandale Beach Shoplifter Killed By Police Because of Dispatching Error, His Family Claims, SoFlo Born and Bred: Logan Sargeant Gears Up for Miami Grand Prix, Celebrity Cruise Ship Kept Corpse in Drink Cooler, Lawsuit Says, Brightline Train Rips Apart Car Carrier in Hollywood Rail Collision (VIDEO), Open Season: Margate's Lax Safeguards Raise Fear of Fraud and Abuse, OIG Says, Photos: Fort Lauderdale Residents Assess Damage Wrought by Historic Flooding, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Last week the states Department of Environmental Protection began sampling ground water and well water from several Acreage homes. 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; At least at first, the land to the south of that was uninhabited and, since much of it was underwater, largely uninhabitable. But for the Peskowitz family, and thousands of others in this western Palm Beach County community, the joy of living miles away from the urban clutter and noise has been supplanted by something louder and more insistent fear. The chances of so many childhood cancers concentrated in such a small place ranged from 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000 -- a cancer cluster, experts determined. State workers this week are taking soil samples in the Acreage, digging soil, digging for answers to what's causing the pediatric cancer cluster. She cant see some colors and has difficulty with organization and telling time, according to her mother. Their press conference last August yielded a few local stories, and one unintended consequence: Judge Joseph Marx, who was presiding over Joey Barattas case, ordered the attorneys not to speak about the case with the press. Our Platform. A news conference slated to discuss the results of a Acreage Cancer Cluster study being conducted. Kaye McCann says she doesnt miss Florida only Jenna, who is still buried there. Im usually a very rational person, but that night I put on a pair of shoes that belong to someone with OCD. They dont walk, they run in the opposite direction of these kinds of things, says Clapp. Convinced something in the water or the soil was making children sick, Dunsford said the familys dream home quickly turned into a prison. In response, the company waged a fierce, years-long battle against the Superfund designation and, in 1985, it won that fight. To the attorneys assertion that Pratt & Whitney was the only possible source of the radiation, Pratts lawyers replied that it could have come from other sources, such as the Chernobyl disaster, through which nuclear radiation has been spread world-wide.. The company was seeking privacy because some of its projects were classified. Garrett Dunsford, too, is both thriving and living with the ongoing health effects of his cancer. Cancer Clusters - American Cancer Society Attorneys have claimed that the state failed to properly test for specific radioactive contamination, ignored concerns voiced by its own people and neglected to hold Pratt & Whitney accountable for not cleaning up years' worth of toxic contamination in the area. The deal is being financed with some $4.4 million in public incentives, including $3.4 million from the state and $1 million from Palm Beach County. The plaintiffs' attorneys will appeal this week's decision and said there are other cases brought by residents that have not gone to trial. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Families argue Pratt & Whitney caused cancer cluster in South Florida, Pratt & Whitney's handling of contaminated soil key part of case. And anybody with children is worried about that.. function utmx_section(){}function utmx(){} ', Much of the mudslinging took place online. With its engines for fighter planes such as the F-22 Raptor, Pratt & Whitneys products power air forces in twenty-two countries. _gaq.push(['_setAllowHash', false]); All of our data is self-reported by residents. state. The way some members of the community are Also citing the gag order, Pratt & Whitney declined to answer questions for this article, stating only that Pratt & Whitneys position is documented in its court filings related to the Acreage.. The Acreage Cancer In fact, by current standards, conclusively blaming a chemical culprit for a cancer cluster is so difficult that only three of 428 cluster investigations conducted in the United States since 1990 have established a link between pollution and illness. What was around me? Thank you for visiting The Acreage Cancer Study website. That declaration came as a relief to some Acreage residents, since it confirmed what many had long suspected. So reactions in the community were decidedly mixed when, in November 2010, with the battery of state and local studies having rendered their results, the Acreage investigation was officially closed. So its to the credit of those who pushed for a more thorough look at the Acreage including then-Governor Charlie Crist and Senator Bill Nelson that an investigation into the possible causes of the cluster was launched at all. Now 12, he has auditory processing problems, memory issues and dyslexia, which were all diagnosed after his cancer. _gaq.push(['gwo._setAccount', 'UA-230305-28']); Acerage Neighborhood Community Update - Florida The information reflected on this map has been voluntarily provided by persons from The Acreage.